The American Revolution was a result of the colonists unrest caused by their abhorrence towards their British Mother Country. For several centuries the colonies had been subject to rule by the English Crown and it’s Parliament. They no longer wanted to be controlled by a country an ocean away, and in turn sought independence. A huge factor in the start of the American Revolution was the French and Indian War that changed the age-old bond between the colonies and England. Decades of conflict followed, starting with the revolt as a result of the Stamp Act in 1765, leading to the eruption of war in 1775.
The American Revolution ended British rule of the American colonies and created a new United States of America. The Revolutionary era was both invigorating and disturbing; it was a time of progress and disruption. According to dictionary.com revolutionary means radically new or innovative; outside or beyond established procedure, principles, etc. As a result of the Revolution events are as diverse as the planning and approval of the Constitution of the United States of America to the revolt of slaves who saw the difference between slavery and liberty. The American Revolution had a major impact on the military, society and on some aspects of human responsibility.
Evolution of the American Revolution: Causation to Sovereignty The American Revolution is described as the political uprising of the thirteen British Colonies of North America against the British Empire during the last half of the eighteenth century. Officially, the conflict lasted from 1775, starting with the “shot heard round the world,” to 1783 when the British Government recognized the independence of the colonies as one sovereign nation. The Revolutionary War was preceded by politically, socially, and economically related ideals and events that altogether inspired the unification of the independent colonies and their separation from the British Empire. The key influences of the American Revolution include: the French and Indian War; the Navigation, Currency, Stamp Tax, Declaratory, Townsend Duties, Tea, and Intolerable Acts; as well as the political and religious ideals of the colonists. The revolutionary era for the American Colonies began around 1763 after the British removed the military threat of the French from North America during the French and Indian War, which resulted in substantial economic debt for the British Empire.
A revolution is a total or radical change. Did the 18th century American Revolution bring about change? Many historians would say that it did, however, there is much evidence supporting the opposing view. The question is, should the American Revolution be thought of as a true revolution or merely a civil war where there was a change in power, but the elements of daily life remained the same. Contrary to popular belief, the American Revolution did not bring about change, because the rights, class structure and government remained the status quo in the colonies.
The Battles of Lexington and Concord in the spring of 1775 marked the beginning of open hostilities between the Colonies and Britain. These battles were the culmination of difficulties between England and the American colonies. The Colonists were fighting against the economic exploitation and political oppression of Parliament. The root cause of the revolution was the fact that Britain refused to believe that the colonies had outgrown, both economically and psychologically, their former status. Many, many things caused the revolution.
The influence on terrorism in the Western hemisphere by the Russian revolution began with a vow by Czar Alexander to make changes to distinguish the nobles and peasants. The Peoples Will was a violent socialist revolution whose goal was to reform and modernize Russia and overthrow Czar Alexander. “When it (Peoples Will) launched a campaign of revolutionary terrorism in the 1870s, it faced confrontation with conservative elements such as the church, police, and military. Peoples’ Will came to believe it was necessary to terrorize these subversive organizations into submission” (Byrnes, 2003-2007). During that time, the view was that terrorist acts were a way to overthrow the government.
However, other factors must be considered including Mao’s attempts of starting a permanent revolution, testing the younger members of the party and undermining bureaucrats and intellectuals. One of the reasons that Mao launched the Cultural Revolution was to regain his dominant position in the party and undermine the position of Deng Xiaoping and Liu Shaoqi. Mao believed that his colleagues were ready to remove him from power when the opportunity came, and that they were using their position to mount a challenge. This influenced Maos decision to launch the Cultural Revolution, as he feared he was losing his grip on the party. Liu and Deng began to reverse the collectivisation programme which Mao believed to be evidence that a power struggle was looming.
The October revolution was an uprising against the Provisional Government led by the Bolsheviks, however there is much debate surrounding who actually commanded the revolution - was it Lenin’s theory or Trotsky’s actions that led to the Bolsheviks success in October? The difference in opinions, as a generalisation, stems from the different schools of historians; the Soviet interpretation pushes Lenin to the
After the 1911 revolution, specifically at the Double Tenth (10th October 1911), Yuan Shikai's involvement clearly displayed what his initial ideas were. The Government at the time appealed to Yuan Shikai to lead Beijing’s army against the current rebels who were based upon the thought process that they didn't have to follow their government or be under their central control. Shikai took this offer, and marched southwards declaring against said rebels. Though, he held back himself and the army from seizing the Double Tenth in Wuhan. His aim was to come to terms with the revolutionists, to use his own authority and power – involving his army – to betray his masters by plotting an overthrow.
The result of the war led to King Charles I being beheaded. After his execution, England became a Republic called the Commonwealth of England and a committee of Parliaments ruled the country. I believe this civil war could have been avoided if Charles had ruled with a wish of making England diverse and multicultural so that the people had religious tolerance as I did with the United States(Tsakiridis). The Glorious Revolution soon came years after the civil war of the English. The Glorious Revolution was to overthrow King James II of England by a union of the English Parliamentarians and with William of Orange in the Netherlands.